Welcome to the "805 Eats" dining blog where we'll keep you up-to-date on restaurant and food happenings in the 805. To send tips and comments, email edit@805Living.com.

Western Wine Awards Gala

Friday, September 30th, 6 - 10 p.m.

The city of Pismo Beach is throwing a gala dinner on the Pismo Beach Pier as part of the Savor the Central Coast festival.  Sunset magazine’s Wine Editor Sara Schneider and Editor-in-Chief Katie Tamony will be handing out awards to winemakers who produce wine in the west.   Sip the nominated wines at dinner and raise a glass to the winners as they are announced.  Read more about the dinner here.  Tickets are $85 each and can be purchased here.

A heady subject

Sampling cups at the ready at the California Beer Festival in Ventura

 

SEPT. 14, 16 and 17-18
Planning for the California Beer Festival in Ventura comes to a head this weekend, when tastings, live music and a barbecue cook-off take place in Mission Park. Get your tickets before you go, though: The event typically sells out. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Dyslexia Awareness and Resource Center.

Saturday, Sept. 17 has been deemed “Craft Beer Heaven,” thanks to the 200 brews that will be on tap (including those from Ladyface Ale Companie of Agoura Hills and the non-commercial “nanobrewery” Two Trees Brewing Co. of Ventura) and available for tasting from noon to 5 p.m. (Open to ages 21 and older. Tickets are $45, or $25 for designated drivers.)

Sunday, Sept. 18 will feature the “Blues, Brews and BBQ” portion of the festival from noon to 6 p.m., when craft brews will be available for purchase.  And the food? Some will come courtesy of samples offered by the dozen or so teams participating in the barbecue cook-off; the rest will be available for purchase from a small grouping of food trucks that includes O Street Truck of Santa Barbara . (All ages. Tickets are $25; children 2 and younger admitted free of charge.)

Can’t wait till the weekend to get into the beer-fest mood? Wet your whistle at one (or both!) of  the pre-event dinners offered by Ventura restaurants.

On Wednesday, Sept. 14, chef Peter Edwards of Watermark on Main in Ventura will pair five beers from Ventura’s Surf Brewery to as many courses.  The fourth-course matchup of chipotle-glazed duck breast with sweet-and-sour cabbage and a frosty glass of Surfers’ Point Vienna lager sounds particularly promising. Just sayin’ … ($48 per person, not including tax and tip. Call 805-643-6800)

Friday, Sept. 16 will feature a four-course, team-effort dinner by Firestone Walker Brewing Co. of Paso Robles and Zoey’s Cafe of Ventura. Sample pairing by chef Andrew Hoganson: spicy pulled-pork quesadillas with Union Jack, a West Coast IPA.  We’ll drink to that! ($28 per person, not including tax and tip. Call 652-1137)

In remembrance

SEPT. 11
On the 10th anniversary of the shocking terrorist attacks on America, some area restaurants are offering discounts to fire, military and law enforcement personnel to show their appreciation for the sacrifices made by those who were among the first to respond to the crisis — and who continue to do so.

From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at  The Plug Nickel in Westlake Village, all retired and active-duty fire, police and military personnel are invited to dine free when an equal number of meals is purchased. Proof of service is required, and can include an ID card, a photograph in uniform or appearing in uniform at the restaurant (717 Lakefield Road, Suite 1, 805-495-3469).

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Tipsy Goat in Thousand Oaks, “all local firefighters, paramedics and police officers” will receive a $1 discount on draft and well drinks, plus $5 off brunch and 50 percent off any food orders at the Irish pub and restaurant (159 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., 805-494-9996).

Similar discounts are an all-day, every-day occurrence at  Stonefire Grill in Thousand Oaks and six additional locations in the Southland. The fast-casual chain owned by Ventura County-based sisters Mary and Maureen Harrigan has a ”Uniform Policy” that grants a 50 percent discount to any military, fire or law enforcement personnel who dine in uniform (3635 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., 805-413-0300).

Not-so-endless summer

Patio at Saddle Peak Lodge in Calabasas

SEPT. 10 and 17, noon to 5 p.m.
You might be in denial, thanks to the recent heat wave, but summer is coming to an end (noooooooo!)
Helping to usher it out in grand alfresco style are Saturday-afternoon gatherings on the patio at Saddle Peak Lodge in Calabasas. There, you’ll find executive chef Christopher Kufek’s upscale small plates menu (think watermelon gazpacho and rabbit confit quesadillas for about $9 or less) just waiting to be paired with wines from SIP Malibu, the official tasting room for Cielo Wines (think Cielo Estate viognier and Malibu Rouge, a merlot-cabernet sauvignon blend). Also available are cocktails by house mixologist Christopher Barragan, the mad scientist behind such concoctions as Psychedelic Sangria. Live music by a guitarist helps makes summer’s swan song a little more bearable.

Aw, shucks!

Planning to visit San Buenaventura State Beach over the long holiday weekend? Don’t forget to bring an oyster knife.
The unusual addition to your beach bag will come in handy should you find yourself at The Jolly Oyster, a newly opened food trailer that sells fresh manila clams and Pacific and Kumamoto oysters that patrons shuck or grill themselves, in the park or at home.  

The shellfish are farmed in two remote bays in Baja California, Mexico and then delivered via refrigerated truck to Ventura, where Jolly Oyster co-owner Mark Reynolds is often on hand to demonstrate proper shucking technique. Knives are available for purchase if you forget to bring your own; otherwise, it’s up to you to supply the charcoal, cooking utensils, beverages and other fixin’s that go into creating a proper beachside picnic. Or a real nice clam bake.  

(Summer hours for The Jolly Oyster are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Call 805-798-4944. If driving, enter the park through the gate at San Pedro Street and Pierpont Boulevard and follow the road as it curves through the park and ends in the paved parking lot near the concrete “silo” style restrooms. All-day parking is $10; three free 20-minute spaces are available for Jolly Oyster patrons who are picking up shellfish to take home. Entry to the park is free for pedestrians and bicyclists.)

The 805 Living Dessert

month of September

For the September issue of 805 Living Magazine, we commissioned Sweet Arleen to create a new sweet and savory bread pudding with studded bacon and drizzled with a salty caramel sauce.  Now you can all taste how awesome it is.  It’s currently the bread pudding flavor of the month at Sweet Arleen’s in Westlake Village.

Gourmet food trucks on a roll in Oxnard

SEPT. 1 and OCT. 6,

6-9 p.m.
Mix gourmet food trucks with restored farmhouses, and what do you get? The inaugural Downtown Gourmet Food Trucks event, which will feature eight L.A.-based food trucks parked in and around Oxnard’s Heritage Square when it takes place from 6-9 p.m. Sept. 1.

 Originally slated to debut this spring, the event organized by the Oxnard Downtown Management District hit the proverbial speed bumps and road blocks but is now expected to go full throttle.

The Sept. 1 gathering will include two trucks with connections to the Food Network: The Chinese-Mexican fusion Don Chow Tacos, which was featured on “Diners, Drive-ins & Dives,” and Ahn-Joo, a Korean snack bar on wheels operated by “The Next Food Network Star” finalist Debbie Lee.

Also expected to make an appearance are Dosa Truck, known for its South Indian street food; Pinoy Jeepney, which serves lumpiang sariwa and other Filipino fare; the Vietnamese-themed Mandoline Grill and FrySmith, which offers up fries smothered in all manner of toppings. (Free-range chicken in tomatillo/tamarind sauce over sweet potato fries, anyone?)

Adding to the festivities will be music by DJ Apple Juice, appearances by the Roller Derby Girls and wine and cocktails served (indoors only, please) at the on-site La Dolce Vita restaurant and Rancho Ventavo Cellars tasting room.

A second Downtown Gourmet Food Trucks event has been slated for 6-9 p.m. Oct. 6. After that, it could become a  first-Thursday-of-the-month fixture on the foodie calendar.

Thanks for shopping …

AUG. 27, 3-6 p.m.

Cheers to 15 years

New awning in action at Intermezzo

 

NOW THROUGH AUG. 31
One reason to visit Intermezzo at the Wine Cask in Santa Barbara this summer? The newly installed awning that stretches over the courtyard. By day, it provides much needed shade for dining alfresco next to the water fountain. By night, it helps hold in the heat should the coastal fog roll in.

 Another reason to stop by? Intermezzo is marking its 15th anniversary this month. And to celebrate that fact, a 15 percent discount is in effect through the end of August for all wines on tap. With selections ranging from a Verdad albarino to a Melville Vineyards and Winery syrah, you’re sure to find something to pair with chef Brandon Hughes’ informal menu of burgers, flatbreads and farmers market-sourced salads. Dine on the patio or slip inside for a seat at the bar or on one of the comfy couches. (Intermezzo at the Wine Cask, 4 p.m. to closing daily, 813 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara. 805-966-9463.)

Time flies when you’re drinking wine

Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards tasting room manager (and "Sideways" star) Chris Burroughs

 

 

AUG. 12-14
Located on 100 square miles between the Santa Barbara County towns of Buellton and Lompoc, the winemaking region known as the Sta. Rita Hills is small but mighty. Remember how its vineyards, winding roads and local restaurants served as backdrops for the Oscar-winning movie “Sideways”? ‘nuf said.
But the American Viticultural Area that helped launch a thousand merlot jokes has new reason to celebrate: This is the year that the Sta. Rita Hills AVA hits the Big 1-0. And to mark the occasion, members of the Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance are presenting Wine and Fire, a weekend-long event packed with open houses, barrel tastings and winemaker dinners. Participants range from Ampelos Cellars to Zotovich Cellars.

The party starts at 6 p.m. Aug. 12, when Avant Tapas & Wine in Buellton is the setting for a tasting of library and large-format wines. A grand tasting is planned  from 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 13 on the grounds of La Purisima Mission near Lompoc. On Aug. 14, highlights include an Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyard  library tasting led by Chris Burroughs — yep, the same hat-wearin’ dude who played himself in a tasting-room scene in “Sideways.”

Individual-event tickets ($10 and up) and weekend passports ($60-$175) are available.

Down on the … farm?

The lawn outside Ventura's historic city hall was the setting for the first event in the "Dinner at the ..." series

AUG. 11 (and OCT. 6)

For a farm-dinner experience without the usual views of crops, farmhouses and — dare we say it? — compost piles, check out the next event in the “Dinner at the … “ series presented by Totally Local VC, a marketing campaign designed to highlight businesses in Ventura and surrounding areas.

The first event in the series took place on the lawn outside Ventura’s historic city hall. The setting for the Aug. 11 dinner pairing locally grown produce with regional wines will take place next to the hilltop Serra Cross in Grant Park, affording views of the ocean early in the meal and of the evening fireworks at the nearby Ventura County Fair at the end. In between, chef Jason Collis of the Ventura restaurant  Jonathan’s at Peirano’s will serve multiple courses showcasing ingredients from Rio Gozo Farm, Petty Ranch and Limoneira, paired to beverages by Surf Brewery, Vino V Wines and more.

Prefer your farm dinners to be on a farm? That can be arranged. The final event in the “Dinner at the … ” series will take place at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 6 at the McGrath Brothers Great Pacific Pumpkins patch, with French Laundry alum Rachel Main — now of the catering firm Main Course California in Ventura — at the culinary helm. Hay rides and some spooky, Halloween-themed entertainment will be included in the $90-per-person price. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Serra Cross Conservancy and FOOD Share.

Reunited, and it feels so good

Two area restaurants (one no longer with us, sad to say) are the focus of upcoming dinners that will reunite owners with chefs and diners with some beloved dishes from back in the day.

Aug. 13, 5:30 p.m.
A decade has passed since former Ventura mayor Sandy Smith sold his (now closed) downtown restaurant, Rosarito Beach Cafe. But its menu devoted to regional Mexican cuisine (think margaritas with fresh lime juice, crab-and-cheese stuffed chile rellenos and plump, made-on-the-premises tortillas) lives on once a year, thanks to the Rosarito Beach Cafe Annual Reunion Dinner for the Arts.

Slated to start with cocktails at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 7, the Aug. 13 event will feature Smith and former server turned cook Kelly Briglio (now co-owner of the wine and cheese shop Paradise Pantry) re-joining forces in the Martin V. and Martha K. Smith Pavilion at the Museum of Ventura County. Proceeds from tickets, $100, will benefit the California International Theatre Festival.

Aug. 28 (RSVP by Aug. 22)

Tommaso Barletta and Alberto Vazquez, together again. That’s the idea behind a four-course dinner that will reunite Barletta, owner of Tuscany il Ristorante in Westlake Village, with one of the more colorful chefs to pass through the restaurant’s kitchen. (Known for dressing in studs and black leather, Vazquez recently launched a rocker-themed mobile kitchen, Rock Chef Rolls.)

Their reunion menu will feature crostini with fire-blistered baby tomatoes, pan-roasted wild-caught sea trout with pickled three-bean ragout, medallions of Wagyu beef with braised wild mushrooms and, for dessert, doughnut-holesque bombolini over vanilla bean custard with mixed berries. Reservations, $85, include wine pairing and the chance to sit back and watch a couple of pros at work.

Get your goat

August 3-7, from 5 to 10 p.m.

In the spirit of Old Spanish Days Fiesta, the Santa Barbara restaurant Julienne is planning its second annual Fiesta Goat.  At the center of the limited-time-only menu is Goat Bandito, a dish pairing braised goat with a housemade potato quesadilla, guacamole, pico de gallo, queso fresco and creme fraiche. Reservations are recommended, or you can take a chance and angle for one of the spots at the five-person bar.

Goat not your thing? The field-to-fork restaurant owned by the husband-and-wife team of chef Justin West and Emma West also is serving baby abalone from The Cultured Abalone in nearby Goleta. “They are a little smaller than a silver dollar and so tender that they don’t even need to be pounded,” Emma says of the 1-year-old abalone, which Justin is serving grilled with housemade bacon jam, olive oil-poached tomatoes and a sprinkling of bread crumbs.

Restaurant Julienne is at 138 E. Canon Perdido in Santa Barbara

Beer me!

JULY 29-30, AUG. 13, AUG. 25 (various times)

On tap for the weekend and beyond: beer-centric events at restaurants, cafes and two of the 805’s newest microbreweries.

At Saddle Peak Lodge in Calabasas, head chef Christopher Kufek is planning a “Beer at its Best” luncheon that from noon July 30 will pair five brews to as many courses. (Think chile lime beer nuts with a St. Bernardus Witbier, followed by rabbit quesadillas with spicy creme fraiche, mango salsa and frosty glasses of Fischer Amber Ale.) For reservations, $50 per person, call 818-222-3888.

The guys from Enegren Brewing Co. in Moorpark

Founded by a trio of homebrewers gone pro, still-tiny Enegren Brewing Co. in Moorpark will officially open its doors to the public at 11 a.m. July 30. Can’t wait till then? The microbrewery’s two brews — Protector Imperial IPA and Valkyrie California Altbier — will be on tap from 7:30 p.m. July 29 at Lemmo’s Grill in Moorpark.

Open since June in an industrial park space in Ventura, Surf Brewery recently rolled out its “longboard sampler,” a surfboard-shaped tray designed to hold miniature snifters of its growing roster of brews. (For now, the selection ranges from Wahine White Ale to Surf Patrol Black IPA.) But aside from bowls of pretzels and other snacks, the tasting room is BYOF — Bring Your Own Food. (Or ask to see the menus of nearby eateries that will deliver right to the brewery’s doorstep.)

Brews from Ladyface Ale Companie in Agoura Hills will be poured in L.A. when the 2nd annual Los Angeles Craft Beer Crawl co-presented by The Beer Chicks as a benefit for Heal the Bay takes place 3-8 p.m. Aug. 13. Tickets, $49 and $69, include admission to the event’s seven, within-walking-distance venues, which range from Cole’s French Dip to Casey’s Irish Pub.

Known for his wine-friendly cuisine, chef Todd Aarons of Tierra Sur, the white-tablecloth restaurant inside Herzog Wine Cellars in Oxnard, is gearing up for the site’s fourth annual Sierra Nevada Dinner. The menu for the Aug. 25 event will feature gastropub-inspired dishes paired to at least two ales on tap: “Ovila” Saison and Life & Limb.

In the clink for a good cause

JULY 28, from 1 p.m.

If you’ve ever received one of those bogus “I’m stuck in London, please send money,” e-mails, you might view a recent message from Amanda Ramirez, assistant manager at Bernard’s Wine Gallery in Calabasas, with some suspicion. But what Ramirez wrote is true: She really will be in “jail” and in need of  bailing out (to the tune of $2,500) as part of a charity Lock-Up fundraiser benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Friends and patrons are welcome to visit Ramirez “behind bars” from around 1 p.m. July 28  at the Sagebrush Cantina, where tax-deductible donations of any and all amounts will be accepted to assure her freedom. Or, beat the rush and go directly to Ramirez’ donation page. Either way, your donation will help send area children to MDA Summer Camp at The Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center.